We turn our attention now to Bif Bang Pow!'s latest Twilight Zone action figure offerings. All four of the characters depicted are TZ icons in their own right, and each depiction carries with it both successes and, unfortunately, stumblings. Happily, the good far outweighs the bad. First up? Doctor Bernardi, probably the most famous face in TZ history (well, other than Rod Serling, that is), from season two's "Eye of the Beholder."
The Doc is a natural choice for the action figure treatment; in fact, I'm a bit surprised he didn't show up in the first waves of figures last year, given his stature in the pantheon of TZ icons. I'm happy to report that he was well worth the wait.
I complained about Bob Wilson/Don Carter's bulky suit and tie (and I'll complain again tomorrow when I look at the Henry Bemis figure), and The Doc's outfit makes my case quite effectively: single-layer thin fabric outfits work best at this scale. The surgical smock and scrubs fit perfectly (okay, the collar is a bit big, but nothing untoward), and look great.
The Doc's got no socks. Not a problem, since his scrubs hang low enough to hide his ankles. The shoes are standard-issue for the human males in the line: Bob Wilson/Don Carter and The Three-Eyed Venusian have the exact same shoes, as does Henry Bemis (but his are gray instead of black).
CHARACTER LIKENESS
Well, see for yourself. It's basically dead on. Probably the best head sculpt the line has offered so far. My only comment --- and this is pretty minor --- is that I would've liked some shading on the various porcine facial features to make them stand out a bit more. A bit of black around the eyes and inside the nostrils would've looked good too. However, the sculpt is amazing as is, and I can't wait to see the companion Nurse figure (due out next year) in person.
ACCESSORIZE ME!
Doctor Bernardi comes with his trusty stethoscope, which looks great. It's a bit stiff, though, so don't expect it to hang loosely around his neck. Maybe a tiny dab of Velcro would remedy this.
What The Doc doesn't come with is his wristwatch, which is a real shame. Bob Wilson/Don Carter comes with a great wristwatch, which would've worked quite well here. A syringe would've been great too... maybe the Nurse will come with one? The pre-order pic over at Entertainment Earth doesn't show one, but I'll remain cautiously hopeful.
PACKAGING
Doctor Bernardi arrives in the usual blister pack, heat-sealed to a card. The newest figures are depicted on the front (all five of which we are spotlighting this week).
Since Doctor Bernardi is a standard 8" figure, he gets the standard bubble. His lone accessory, the aforementioned stethoscope, can be found underneath him, beneath a piece of supporting plastic holding his legs in place.
The back of the card features a delightful diorama featuring every single TZ action figure released so far, along with six figures not yet released (Santa Claus, Alicia, Maya the Cat Girl, Alien, Clown, and Nurse; those should hit in mid-2012). The Bob Wilson/Don Carter hybrid figure is marked as a Comic-Con exclusive; interestingly, last year's Willie the Dummy/Talky Tina pair is NOT marked as such. The wrecked spaceship in the background looks like it came from season five's "Probe 7 - Over and Out," which is a nice touch (wonder if we're getting a Richard Basehart figure at some future point...?). The new figures are limited to 1704 pieces each... my Doctor Bernardi is number 839.
Doctor Bernardi comprises half of "Series 4" in Bif Bang Pow's ongoing Twilight Zone action figure releases. The Doc, along with Henry Bemis, can be purchased from Entertainment Earth here. Each action figure is limited to only 1704 pieces, so I'd probably bust a move if I were you.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Longtime readers will recall that, for Halloween 2010, my wife Teresa helped me put together a Doctor costume (okay, "helped" isn't really accurate... she basically did everything. All I did was buy the scrubs and stare at her cleavage while she applied my makeup). It's safe to say that I have a special fondness for The Doc now, so I'm glad to see his action figure turned out so well. Highly recommended!
The Doc is a natural choice for the action figure treatment; in fact, I'm a bit surprised he didn't show up in the first waves of figures last year, given his stature in the pantheon of TZ icons. I'm happy to report that he was well worth the wait.
I complained about Bob Wilson/Don Carter's bulky suit and tie (and I'll complain again tomorrow when I look at the Henry Bemis figure), and The Doc's outfit makes my case quite effectively: single-layer thin fabric outfits work best at this scale. The surgical smock and scrubs fit perfectly (okay, the collar is a bit big, but nothing untoward), and look great.
The Doc's got no socks. Not a problem, since his scrubs hang low enough to hide his ankles. The shoes are standard-issue for the human males in the line: Bob Wilson/Don Carter and The Three-Eyed Venusian have the exact same shoes, as does Henry Bemis (but his are gray instead of black).
CHARACTER LIKENESS
Well, see for yourself. It's basically dead on. Probably the best head sculpt the line has offered so far. My only comment --- and this is pretty minor --- is that I would've liked some shading on the various porcine facial features to make them stand out a bit more. A bit of black around the eyes and inside the nostrils would've looked good too. However, the sculpt is amazing as is, and I can't wait to see the companion Nurse figure (due out next year) in person.
ACCESSORIZE ME!
Doctor Bernardi comes with his trusty stethoscope, which looks great. It's a bit stiff, though, so don't expect it to hang loosely around his neck. Maybe a tiny dab of Velcro would remedy this.
Sproing!
What The Doc doesn't come with is his wristwatch, which is a real shame. Bob Wilson/Don Carter comes with a great wristwatch, which would've worked quite well here. A syringe would've been great too... maybe the Nurse will come with one? The pre-order pic over at Entertainment Earth doesn't show one, but I'll remain cautiously hopeful.
PACKAGING
Doctor Bernardi arrives in the usual blister pack, heat-sealed to a card. The newest figures are depicted on the front (all five of which we are spotlighting this week).
Since Doctor Bernardi is a standard 8" figure, he gets the standard bubble. His lone accessory, the aforementioned stethoscope, can be found underneath him, beneath a piece of supporting plastic holding his legs in place.
The back of the card features a delightful diorama featuring every single TZ action figure released so far, along with six figures not yet released (Santa Claus, Alicia, Maya the Cat Girl, Alien, Clown, and Nurse; those should hit in mid-2012). The Bob Wilson/Don Carter hybrid figure is marked as a Comic-Con exclusive; interestingly, last year's Willie the Dummy/Talky Tina pair is NOT marked as such. The wrecked spaceship in the background looks like it came from season five's "Probe 7 - Over and Out," which is a nice touch (wonder if we're getting a Richard Basehart figure at some future point...?). The new figures are limited to 1704 pieces each... my Doctor Bernardi is number 839.
Doctor Bernardi comprises half of "Series 4" in Bif Bang Pow's ongoing Twilight Zone action figure releases. The Doc, along with Henry Bemis, can be purchased from Entertainment Earth here. Each action figure is limited to only 1704 pieces, so I'd probably bust a move if I were you.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I'm Doctor Craig, and I approved this blog entry.
Longtime readers will recall that, for Halloween 2010, my wife Teresa helped me put together a Doctor costume (okay, "helped" isn't really accurate... she basically did everything. All I did was buy the scrubs and stare at her cleavage while she applied my makeup). It's safe to say that I have a special fondness for The Doc now, so I'm glad to see his action figure turned out so well. Highly recommended!
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